Opening statements in the murder trial of a 47-year-old white man, accused of killing a 17-year-old black boy in Florida, began at noon today. Follow this link to watch live. A day after Thanksgiving in 2012, Michael Dunn allegedly shot Jordan Davis at a Jacksonville gas station following an argument in which Dunn complained about loud hip-hop music coming from Davis’s friend’s car.

In a New York Times short documentary film this week, filmmaker Orlando Bagwell looks at a key similarity between Davis and Trayvon Martin: “Stand your ground” laws. Bagwell says Davis’s story:

“…provides insights into the larger question of whether these laws, which encourage handguns in public places and shooting in the name of self-defense, ultimately make us safer and more civilized. Is this the society we hope to leave to our children?”

Read this online at http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/02/jordan_davis_murder_trial_begins_in_fla_today.html

Thank you for printing out this Colorlines.com article. If you liked this article, please make a donation today at colorlines.com/donate to support our ongoing news coverage, investigations and actions to promote solutions.